Matthew 18: Others First (5)
Pray Psalm 119.171-173.
My lips shall utter praise,
For You teach me Your statutes.
My tongue shall speak of Your word,
For all Your commandments are righteousness.
Let Your hand become my help,
for I have chosen Your precepts.
Sing Psalm 119.171-173.
Regent Square: Angels from the Realms of Glory
With our lips we praise You, Jesus, for You teach us, full and free.
Now Your Word will ever please us; Your commandments true shall be.
Let Your hand come forth to ease us; we Your Word choose gratefully!
Read Matthew 18.1-20; meditate on verses 18-20.
How do you experience “there in the midst”?
Prepare.
1. What did Jesus promise His disciples here?
2. How can we know Jesus is present with us?
Meditate.While these verses are connected with the practice of church discipline, outlined in the previous verses, they also hold a broader meaning, which we will seek to unpack. Here, the word “bound” is better translated, “shall have been bound”; and the word “loosed” is perhaps better “shall have been loosed”. If we are faithful in handling the Word for “binding” and “loosing” we will be doing precisely what has been ordained and is being done in heaven.
We need God’s Word to bind us to Him, so that we don’t drift. But we also need to be loosed into the freedom of God’s truth and His perfect Law of liberty (Jn. 8.32; Jms. 2.12). As we become more bound to it, the Word of God can keep us from drifting into sin; at the same time, it can loose us from sin us into all truth and life. The disciples—and, indeed, all disciples (Heb. 5.12)—were charged with teaching that Word so that it would accomplish the binding and loosing purposes for which God sends it forth (Is. 55.10. 11).
But to do that, disciples must be attuned to heaven and the will of God. He alone can show us the right way to use His Law and Word for “binding” and “loosing” ourselves. His will and plan are already in effect, and we can discern and apply these by looking to His Word. All believers have the duty of searching the Scriptures to know how we should be bound and where we might be loosed; those who are called to teach others have an even greater responsibility and need to make sure they know how to handle the Scriptures as God intends (Jms. 3.1; 2 Tim. 2.15).
When Jesus is present with us, and we are in communion with Him, we will know what to bind, what to loose, and thus what to agree on in serving Him. By praying together with two or three or more, we can be more assured of getting God’s Word right. But we each need to bring something to our prayers together from our own time with the Lord. Then we can reach agreement about what to bind and what to loose. This is neither a guarantee of infallibility in our judgments nor a carte blanche to pray for whatever we want; rather, it is a guideline and promise to help us make sure we gain the perspective, seek the will, and take the steps that have already been determined in heaven for our good and God’s glory.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Two or three joined together in prayer, asking for the gift of the Holy Spirit, will never be disappointed.That prayer, as Jesus promised, will always be answered in the affirmative (Lk. 11.13).
Would you like to brag about always having your prayers answered? Then ask for the Holy Spirit.
Also, praying for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven? (Matt. 6.10). That too, always a winner.
However, we have been given permission to bring all things before the throne of grace.
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that
we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4.16).
Again, another slam dunk.
We just need to be pleased with God’s mercy and grace in whatever form He chooses to impart it.
But the joining together is a sweet concept: fellowship with other believers in the Presence of God.
All together praising His glorious Name in great appreciation for His marvelous gift of salvation.
God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with us—Immanuel—hearing, seeing, and answering for our good.
“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.
You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the Name of the LORD your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
and My people shall never be put to shame.
Then you shall know that I AM in the midst of Israel [the Church]:
I AM the LORD your God and there is no other.
My people shall never be put to shame” (Joel 2.25-27).
Those locusts, who have eaten away at our soul—the sin in our lives—God will forgive (1 Jn. 1.9).
And He not only forgives, but restores us, satisfies us, and is wondrously among us—
and we will not be put to shame.
Thus, giving thanks is also a successful prayer to offer—always accepted, always right.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (2 Thess. 5.16-18).
“And whatever you do in word or deed,
do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3.17).
“For where two or three are gathered together in My Name,
I AM there in the midst of them” (Matt. 18.20).
“So it was, while they conversed and reasoned,
that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them” (Lk. 24.15).
Confessing, praising, binding, loosing, agreeing, thanking, and pleading for the Spirit—
All prayers with a 100 percent success rate. With Jesus in our midst.
“God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn” (Ps. 46.5).
Jesus loves the Church (Eph. 5.25) and gave Himself for her.
Reflect.
1. Why is it important that, when in prayer, we always seek God’s will?
2. Can we always know exactly what God’s will is when we pray? Explain.
3. How does the Word of God “bind” and “loose” you? Why do we need it to do both?
[N]ot only will God bestow the spirit of wisdom and prudence on those who ask it, but He will also provide that not one thing which they shall do according to His Word shall want its power and effect. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Matthew 18.18-20
Pray Psalm 119.174-176.
Praise God for His grace and all His Word! Pray for opportunities to speak His Word to others today, knowing as you do that His Word will accomplish His purpose as you speak (Is. 55.10, 11).
Sing Psalm 119.174-176.
Regent Square: Angels from the Realms of Glory
For Your saving grace we plead, LORD, and Your Law is our delight.
We to live and praise You need, LORD, all Your help by day and night.
Straying sheep, we do not heed, LORD; come and seek us by Your might!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: Our Read Moore podcast continues our readings from the book, The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart. Our Crosfigell teaching letter is pursuing a series on the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column is working through a study of the role of reason in the life of faith. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
